WRITTEN QUESTION E-0928/02 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Price increases resulting from the introduction of the euro.
Date: 2002-04-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU statistics, consumer protection, economic statistics, euro, inflation, price control

5.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/69

However the figures below are a fairly accurate picture of the situation:

1.

Eurozone Member States: EUR 175 million;

2. Non Eurozone States: EUR 7,3 million of which EUR 1,5 million has gone to Sweden for its National

Information Campaign;

3. Third countries: EUR 2,7 million of which a maximum of EUR 0,5 million have been spent in the

candidate countries which included a seminar in Budapest in September 2001.

Apart from providing information on the Union and on the Enlargement process in general, as part of its
Communication strategy on Enlargement,
the Commission does not spent money specifically on
information and/or promotion in relation to Malta’s forthcoming referendum on membership of the
Union. These activities are the responsibility of the Maltase government in the first place.

(2002/C 301 E/074)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0928/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(5 April 2002)

Subject: Price increases resulting from the introduction of the euro

On the front page of Inf€uro, the European Commission’s newsletter, Number 20/EN 2001, Commissioner
Solbes denied that ‘any significant increase in prices’ was to be expected when the euro was introduced.
should be ensured by a combination of competitive pressures on
‘An inflation-free changeover
manufacturers and retailers, legal regulations in all Member States on how to convert sums into euro and
close scrutiny of
traders by consumer organisations and the media. … We are working to keep
[unscrupulous trading] to a minimum. … Consumer protection is one of the top priorities for the
Commission and the Member States.’ Now, however, just a few months after the introduction of the euro,
the media and consumer organisations are regularly reporting price increases.

Can the Commission indicate the average increase in prices compared with the period before the euro was
introduced and how it intends to combat the inflation resulting therefrom?

Furthermore, does the Commission deem it appropriate to entrust consumer organisations and the media
with the job of scrutinising price rises, all the more so since many of the print media have themselves
increased their prices in response to the introduction of the euro?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2002)

The figures published by Eurostat on 28 February 2002 confirmed that the changeover to the euro had
not resulted in across-the-board price increases: the impact of the changeover on monthly inflation is
estimated at between 0 % and 0,16 %. The few increases linked to the euro generally occurred in the
service sector. Although annual
inflation increased from 2 % to 2,7 % between December 2001 and
January 2002, this is almost wholly due to a combination of oil price rises, the higher cost of fruit and
vegetables as a result of bad weather conditions and a number of tax hikes.

Primary responsibility for scrutinising price rises lies with the relevant official bodies, but consumer
organisations can usefully help raise public awareness by highlighting any excessive increases.